tony b

OK, in all honesty, there is ONE KK cook where a water pan is a good idea - baking bread. I'm not a big bread baker, so I almost forgot that those on here who are awesome bakers use a very hot cast iron pan, full of chain links, and at the beginning of their bake, toss water into the pan to create a steam bath, trying to simulate commercial bread ovens. But, for any meat cook - NEVER!

Does that answer your question?? I did initially sear it off in a cast iron skillet before putting it on the KK to roast.

That's straight up Cuban cooking there - Moros y Cristianos (Moors & Christians). As you said - cheap, easy, and really good! I buy cans of black beans at CostCo by the case. If I'm being lazy, buy a bag of Vigo - even easier and almost as good. I like to do a "drunken" version, toss some rum in with the beans (light or dark, both work) https://vigofoods.com/catalog/product/2099/vigo-black-beans-rice My local supermarket carries their stuff. I try and keep a bag in the pantry for "emergencies!"

While I saw the Sauv Blanc (which I've tried btw), missed the wife in the photo?? Unless you were referring to the KK as your "wife."

NEVER! The only time it makes sense to me is if you're trying to catch the drippings for gravy and don't want them to burn. That was the genesis of the double-bottom drip pan - to preclude the need for water to prevent burning the yummy drippings for the gravy (primarily a Turkey Day thing for me.)

As a counter contrarian (), I've always wondered how stable it is picking up grates like that if there's food on them. Gotta pick the right lift points or your center of balance is off and you could lose "precious meat" if it tips on you. Also, there's a chance that if it tips away from you, that you could burn your forearms on the hot grate, as I don't see how you can use the grabbers with thick insulated gloves on?? To solve your stated problem, if you're using the main grate, flip up the front piece and slide your gloves underneath to pick the grate up that way rather than by the handles. Never had a problem lifting a grate that way. Similarly for the lower grate, just use the opening at the front to slide your gloved hands in to lift.

That makes a WHOLE lot more sense than just replacing the silicone ones with SS, which I was struggling to figure out how you'd make that work? Turns out to be another great Dennis enhancement. Too bad it's not able to be retrofitted to the older KKs. I've lost several silicone plugs unknowingly - they got pulled out when I removed the cover. Good thing Dennis gives us lots of spares! And, yes, I've had times when I had a jet of smoke pouring out the silicone plug when it wasn't in use with probes, usually when I'm running the Guru fan.

Would you mind posting a picture. I've having trouble visualize how they work. The silicon plug has a slit in it for the wires. How many wires can you run through the new plug? Do you have any problem with the wires getting kinked by the screwing action of inserting the new plugs? Thanks in advance!

Didn't buy the grate grabbers, I have gloves. Never missed having them. More small, loose gear to get lost in the deck cabinet. I have a large rubber tub for my charcoal. That's where I keep the 2nd basket. I can't overstate how nice it is to just swap the 2 baskets back/forth - easy, peasy. I have the spit rod with both forks and basket. I have the cradle. And, I have OctoForks. They are the only thing that I DON'T use much. Food falls off them too easily unless you secure it somehow, which defeats the purpose. The tines are very sharp and I've sliced several fingers sliding food on/off them. One of my few regret purchases for the KK. YMMV As far as cleaning the cradle, baskets, forks - PBW (Powdered Brewers Wash). I put the gear in a 5 gal bucket, mixed up the PBW (1 TB/gal) and submerge the pieces and let them soak for a few hours/overnight. Take them out, rinse with water, wipe down with a paper towel or sponge - done! The cradle will stick up above the solution in a 5 gal bucket - so after a few hours soak, I take it out and rinse/wipe the submerged section, then flip it over and dunk the other end - Rinse, Repeat!

When it's in the "2nd position" can you wiggle the handle of the KK at all? If it doesn't move, you're OK. I'd watch it going forward, as you might need to do an adjustment on it. It's very simple, but the one thing to understand, you ONLY adjust the bottom piece. Even though the handle piece has bolts on it, it's actually welded in place and not adjustable. To do the adjustment, you just loosen the 2 nuts on each side, gently tap down on the catch with a piece of wood (need to be careful that you don't crack a tile with something more robust like a hammer), re-tighten the 2 bolts and check it for tightness. The assemble doesn't move much, only a few mm. If you get it too tight, so it's really hard to latch into the 2nd position, loosen the nuts and tap upwards just a hair, then re-tighten. (Rinse, repeat!)

I'm like Pequod, rarely use mine. Almost regret buying it for as little as I use it - once a year for the Turkey Day meal to catch the yummy drippings for the gravy. Money could have gone to other toys. Some folks like to use it on their pizza cooks. Haven't tried that yet. Maybe it will cause me to change my opinion (and it's just that) on the usefulness of the double lined drip pan. YMMV

Definitely get the 2nd basket to go with the splitter. It makes swapping out a breeze. Consider the pizza stone and rotisserie option. Make a Syz's dutch oven smoker pot, unless you think that you're going to cold smoke some foods (cheese, fish), then the smoker attachment is a must. Load up the shipping pallet with as much cocochar and coffee wood chunks & charcoal as will fit.

Can't wait to see the finish of this one!!

More grilled chicken thighs last night. Classic poultry rub with green and pink peppercorns, direct, main grate, 325F initially, 375F finish. Apple wood chunks. Plated with homemade pesto pasta, crusty bread, nice salad - on the deck again. Wine is a Chardonnay & Viognier blend.

GORGEOUS!! Looks like an Aussie cook - he's the master of beefies!

Nicely done! Congrats! You're a pro now!

roast a whole chicken. spatchcock it. season it with your favorite rub for chicken. direct heat on upper grate @ 350F. skin side up to start with. after 30 minutes, flip it over, bump the temp up to 400F to crisp up the skin, another 15 minutes. You'll be blown away.

That 3rd pedal is getting harder and harder to find now! Now, it's all paddle shifters on the steering column.

If you have to, run to Papa Murphy's and pick up a couple. They do great in the KK on the pizza stone.

Nice shawarma cook! I did chicken thighs last night, too. Lemon Pepper on the main @ 375F, with cherry wood. Grilled asparagus. Plated with Basil rice (plucked a couple of leaves off my new plants). Sauce for the chicken was capers, lemon zest/juice, garlic and EVOO. It was a nice evening, so dinner was outside in the gazebo.

What brand/type of charcoal are you burning? Some kinds don't give off a lot of smoke. At a 1/4 turn on the top and just about any size opening on the bottom vent, you shouldn't have any concerns about the fire going out. Like I preached in another thread - DON'T CHASE THE TEMPERATURES! You're not going to tell any difference in the final outcome being off 12F. Anything within 50F of target (+/- 25F) is generally not a problem on most cooks.

Piece of cake compared to many installs. I'd measure the width of the lanai door to make sure it fits before committing to that route. Since the TT doesn't have wheels, you might want to consider a refrigerator moving dolly.

Very nice. Meaters everywhere!

Don't waste all that heat during the burn-in. It's safe to cook while doing it or right after. The offgassing is outside the KK and not inside where the food is.